Led by IWMI Ikbal Yusupova, Project Assistant/Research Officer

1. ADB-funded Project ENABLING COMMUNITIES IN THE ARAL SEA BASIN TO COMBAT LAND AND WATER RESOURCE DEGRADATION THROUGH THE CREATION OF ‘BRIGHT’ SPOTS Led by IWMI Ikbal Yusupova, Project Assistant/Research Officer

2. What is a ‘Bright’ spot? • Individuals, small communities and households that have adopted innovative practices and strategies to cope with or reverse resource degradation in a sustainable manner whilst maintaining or enhancing food security and generating wealth.

3. A Bright spot • Three cases have been studied in Uzbekistan all showing higher productivity under similar biophysical and economic constraints. • Reasons are varied and included technological, economic coping strategies and social mobilization at the community level. • The question is can these ‘Bright spots’ be replicated?

4. Profiles of Two Shirkats in Uzbekistan ‘Bright spots’ out perform their surrounding neighbours

5. Overall Goal of the Project To address poverty, improve food security at the household level and enhance environmental security through the development, promotion and adoption of strategies that enhance the productivity of existing irrigated farming systems in Central Asia.

6. Target Project Countries

7. Objectives (i)Identify and promote the expansion of community based innovations termed ‘Bright’ spots that prevent further land and water degradation and enhance the livelihoods of agrarian communities in the target countries.

8. Objectives (ii)Evaluate plant species and management systems that have the potential to increased productivity and income generation on saline soils through farmer participatory trials in the three target countries.

9. Objectives (iii) Enhance the capacity of national research and extension services to develop and promote innovative strategies that address land water resource degradation.

10. Outputs Output 1. Identification, promotion and adoption of innovative practices that prevent further land and water degradation in the Aral Sea Basin will be established in the three target countries; Output 2. Plant species with the potential for increased productivity and income generation on salt affected soils will be identified and improved management systems promoted; and Output 3. Enhanced capacity of national research and extension services and steps to institutionalize changes in policy in addressing land and water degradation will be promoted.

11. Organizational Structure Steering Committee: 8 members ADB, PFU, IWMI, ICARDA, ICBA, 3 States Project Leader: Andrew Noble Project Manager: Iskandar Project Assistant: Iqbol Project technical Coordinator: about to be filled IARC Representatives: ICARDA/ICBA/IWMI Irrigation Drainage Specialist: Tolkun Soil Scientist: to be filled GIS/RS Specialist: Alexander National Field Teams: 3 teams Soil Scientist, Hydro technician Social Scientist.

12. Partners NARS Organizations • Kazakhstan:Scientific Research Institute of Water Economy of the Ministry of Agriculture. • Turkmenistan: Department of Land Resources of the Ministry of Agriculture • Uzbekistan: Cotton Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources.

13. Learning needs:1. Designing comprehensive and feasible M&E system2. Creating a learning environment3. Develop comprehensive and feasible project strategies4. Learning impact assessment tools and approaches

14. Thank you.